When properly used and maintained a modern paint brush provides satisfactory results for a long period of time. Proper care of a brush includes a through, gentle cleaning of the bristles after each use. A brush is quickly damaged or ruined if the paint or other finish is allowed to dry and harden in the bristles. While hardened paint can be removed from the bristles, doing so usually damages the bristles and thereby shortens the life of the brush. The bristles of a paint brush should be cleaned before the paint has hardened or dried. Unfortunately, it is not always convenient to clean the brush immediately following use. To prevent the paint from hardening while awaiting cleaning, many painters will load the brush with paint and wrap the brush in a plastic bag or aluminum foil to keep the bristles moist and pliable. While this practice keeps the bristles moist, it wastes paint and can also damage the bristles. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that it would be highly desirable to quickly and easily clean paint brush bristles immediately after use to thereby eliminate the need to wrap the bristles and reduce the possibility of damage.
High quality paint brushes are not inexpensive items, and, understandably, a painter typically has only one or a few brushes at any given time. Even professional painters have only a select few brushes at any given time. A home owner or other occasional painter will have only one brush for applying paint and perhaps another brush for applying varnish or other finishes. A painter will typically use the same brush to apply all colors of a finish, stopping to clean the brush between colors. It can easily take a painter half an hour or more to clean a brush between colors. Obviously, cleaning the bristles is time consuming and reduces productivity. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that it would be highly desirable to quickly and easily clean paint brush bristles between colors in a short period of time to minimize loss of productivity.
Paint brush bristles are typically cleaned by hand in a solution containing a solvent appropriate for the finish used. When the solvent is mineral spitits, petroleum distillates or other volatile substances, gloves should be worn to avoid harmful contact with the skin. Also, the vapors from the solvents may be hazardous. Thus, cleaning brush bristles is not only messy but may be hazardous as well. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that it would be highly desirable to have a brush cleaner that minimizes splashing of the solvent and minimizes exposure time to the vapors.
Brush cleaners have been devised that eliminate the need for the painter to immerse his hands in the solvent to clean the bristles. These devices typically involve an attachment for electrical drills to which the brush is attached to be spun about in a container of solvent until the brush is clean. Using an electric drill to spin the brushes is messy because the solvent splashes about increasing exposure time to the solvent vapors. Alternatively, the brushes can be spun in the solvent mechanically until clean. Using a mechanical crank is labor intensive and time consuming and increases exposure time to the solvent vapors. It is desirable to have a paint brush cleaner which does not splash the solvent and which operates automatically.